Summary:The Collection of Photographs at the Museum in Jagodina
houses one well-preserved ferrotype picturing two
unidentified persons. The process used was that of wet
collodion coated on iron sheets. Ferrotype was an early
photographing technique devised as result of the attempt to
create a simpler and cheaper replacement of the
daguerreotype. It was introduced by Adolph Martin and
patented in 1856 by Hamilton Smith, an American scientist,
photographer and astronomer who taught chemistry and
physics in Ohio. Two American companies rivaled in the
production and the company run by Peter Neff called them
melainotypes while that of Victor Moreau Griswold named
them ferrotypes. Tintype was the third term, which though of
later date, was in use in literature. The entire process was
relatively simple and would take only few minutes to
accomplish. The collodion emulsion mixed with potassium
iodide would be coated on thin iron sheets varnished black.
The treated plate was then sensitized by soaking it in solution
of silver nitrate. While the collodion was still moist, the plate
was exposed. The exposition lasted for short time only. After
that the photograph was developed, fixed, rinsed and coated
by transparent protective varnish. First ferrotypes used to be
inserted in decorative boxes while later various types of
frames were made and finally paper and cardboard envelopes
usually in cartes-de-visite format prevailed. Occasionally, no
encasement was used. From the United States they expanded
to England, Australia and New Zealand. They used to be made
by traveling photographers who worked at fairs, bazaars, in
tourist resorts or simply in the streets. This was the reason for
the quality of photograph to entirely rely upon the
photographer's skills who often were craftsmen in pursuit of
fast and easy earning. The only object of photography was
portraiture, and the invention of camera with several lenses
allowed for small dimensions ferrotypes to be made (as small
as post stamps) or even smaller which would then be inserted
into brooches, tie-pins, cuffs and other jewellers. In
comparison to other early photographing techniques,
ferrotypes had much longer life extending even to the World
War II. The importance of ferrotype lies in the fact that it made
photographs available to broadest social layers. They are
rarely found in museums in Serbia; however, they are more
often kept in private collections.